A record 122 cars from 14 countries will contest BCIC Rally Barbados, which begins under the floodlights at Bushy Park, St Philip, on Friday evening.
Last year’s winners, Stuart Maloney and Kristian Yearwood, are seeded number one for the 35th edition of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) premier event, with nearly 100 overseas drivers and co-drivers listed on the running order, released at Wednesday’s Briefing Meeting at Savvy on the Bay, Bridgetown.
Following his victory in Sunday’s First Citizens King of the Hill in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Maloney has now won both Rally Barbados and KotH as a driver and co-driver. He now has a new target: becoming only the second Barbadian to win both events in the same year, a feat achieved just once—by Roger Skeete in 2011.
Seeded second is Skeete’s son Dane, who will campaign the Subaru Impreza WRC S12 that his father drove to the 2011 double. Alongside co-driver Tyler Mayhew, the younger Skeete is aiming for a third Rally Barbados win after previous victories in 2019 and 2022, which would also mark a sixth win for the car itself.
The competition will be intense, with the next six cars all from the record-breaking 21-strong FIA R5 class. At number three is Jamaica’s Kyle Gregg (Ford Fiesta Rally2), who edged out former Caribbean Junior Karting Champion Adam Mallalieu (Fiesta R5) by just three-hundredths of a second last Sunday. Gregg’s countryman and five-time Rally Barbados winner Jeff Panton (Fiesta Rally2) follow, with Mark Maloney and Suleman Esuf seeded sixth and seventh in their Škodas. Both recently returned to Rally2 competition.
Britain’s Rob Swann (Škoda), Joe Cunningham, and Kevin Procter (both in WRC-class Fiestas) round out the top 10.
All but three of the top 10 featured prominently in last year’s floodlit opening, with Mark Maloney and Mallalieu clocking fastest times on SS1 and SS3, respectively. Friday’s 2.2km Riddara SuperSpecials begin between the Clubhouse and Race Control, pass through the tunnel, and end in the pit lane. In addition, competitors will face a 6.0km stage at Malvern in St John, while action inside Bushy Park will run nearly non-stop from 7:00 p.m., with crews lining up for SS3 as the last entries complete SS1.
This year features 37 four-wheel-drive entries, the highest in a decade. The top-seeded 2WD crew, Roger Mayers and Barry Ward, will start at number 15 in their Toyota WR Starlet, following their historic fourth consecutive KotH 2WD title.
Two cars ahead is two-time European Rally Champion Simon Jean-Joseph, competing in the Open R-GT class in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Other top 2WD seeds include Barry Mayers (Fiesta) at 17, reigning BRC 2WD Champion and last year’s top finisher Rhett Watson (BMW M3) at 19, and Nigel Reece at 28 in his ex-Josh Read Starlet.
One of the most intriguing entries is the legendary Declan ‘The Milkman’ Gallagher Starlet, now driven by New York-based Irishman Barry McKenna. Known for his adaptability—he impressed in a Volkswagen Polo GTi R5 last year—McKenna will be a strong contender in both the 2WD and SuperModified 2 class.
Beyond the battles for overall and 2WD supremacy, there are 13 contested classes, with local drivers taking on regional and international rivals in 11 of them.
Saturday’s nine stages will unfold at high-speed venues in the southeast, including three loops through Riddara Padmore, which now runs through Bushy Park for the first time, adding 1.7km to the total stage mileage. Also included are Inchcape Kendal and Malvern.
Sunday’s stages move north to more technical terrain—Dark Hole, Automotive Art Hangman’s Hill, and Mount Poyer—with the Rally Finish at Vaucluse Raceway.
(PR/BT)
